London police are treating the attack on three female Emirati tourists at a London hotel, which left one victim in a coma with serious head injuries, as an attempted murder investigation, officers have confirmed.
The three women were visiting the English capital, along with three children aged between 7-12 years, when they were attacked by an intruder with a hammer in the early hours of Sunday morning.
The women suffered serious head injuries with one of them said to be fighting for her life after the assault in a room at the four-star Cumberland Hotel.
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“Victim One remains in a critical but stable condition at a central London hospital. Victim Two and Victim Three both sustained serious injuries but their conditions are not life-threatening. The children were unharmed during the incident,” the London Metropolitan Police said in a statement, while officers confirmed to Arabian Business the investigation was being treated as attempted murder.
Detective Superintendent Carl Mehta of Homicide and Major Crime Command (HMCC), said: “This is an exceptionally unusual and rare incident to have taken place in a busy London hotel and we are currently working around the clock to identify and secure CCTV as well as forensic evidence opportunities.
"At this early stage in the investigation we believe the motive for this attack to be theft. However, we retain an open mind.
"We also understand hotel room security was not breached and the door to the family’s room was unlocked at the time of the incident. We are working closely with the family and the hotel to explore this further.”
Scotland Yard has launched a nationwide manhunt to trace the attacker, who was not a guest at the hotel.
Detectives have begun questioning staff and other guests.
Police confirmed on Tuesday they have so far not made any arrests as part of the investigation.
The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said it is closely following up the circumstances surrounding the attack.
Rashid Al Dhahiri, director of citizens affairs at the MoFA, said that the competent authorities at the MoFA were following up the incident in conjunction with the UAE Embassy in London to establish causes of the attack, the WAM news agency said. He added the authorities are also following up the health conditions of three sisters in hospital.
Al Dhahiri said the UAE Embassy in London is following up the case with the security authorities, adding that the Metropolitan Police are investigating the incident, whose initial evidence shows the aim was theft.
The MoFA warns the citizens about such gangs who target them and their belongings, adding that it continuously reviews travel destinations to specify sensitive areas and extent of risk so as to keep the citizens updated.
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